The Road to the CGC test

Lovely said:
I have an interesting twist to the plot!
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In my basic obed class, we had a couple like you are describing you and your DH. It was a mess. One dog was focused on Dad. The other dog was all over the place, focusing on Dad, on Mom, the other dog, etc. Good luck!

I have to admit. I am very proud of Miko. He got his CGC at 10 months. So yay for Duncan. I'm sure he'll be fine. Sounds like he's got a lot under his belt already. I can't wait to read the post when you get your CGC!!
 
am I being too ambitious thinking we could do 8 weeks obedience class and take the CGC test by the end of the class? .... pup is going to be 7 and half months...
 
k9kreationz said:
In my basic obed class, we had a couple like you are describing you and your DH. It was a mess. One dog was focused on Dad. The other dog was all over the place, focusing on Dad, on Mom, the other dog, etc. Good luck!
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I am hoping we aren't THAT couple. :smile2: It wasn't bad this last class, and I think it will get better each time. Fingers crossed!

SheltieChe said:
am I being too ambitious thinking we could do 8 weeks obedience class and take the CGC test by the end of the class? .... pup is going to be 7 and half months...
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I don't think it is too early. Duncan was born July 3rd, so he will be about 9.5 months on our test date. As long as you have good focus and great treats, I think it would be fine.

The report of the second class:

We got there a little early and there was another class going on with reactive dogs. We waited outside (despite the chill weather - hey, it may be Florida but we've had a windchill that has the Snowbirds shivering) somewhat patiently. There was also an agility class starting outside and the dogs were showing up. Duncan wags his tail at all passer-bys. Pierre is on the end of his lead, trying to touch noses with one of the Goldens in our class.

A Corgi and a fluffball come up, heading to agility. Wait, fluffball? I look again. It is a VERY fluffy Sheltie. A TINY fluffy Sheltie. The lady wasn't completely friendly when I asked, "How old is your Sheltie?" Then she saw Duncan and smiled with warmth. "Four years old. Oh, yours is a little guy." I smiled and nodded. Hers was still littler. "How much does she weigh?" I'm not sure how I knew it was a girl - she just looked feminine. "Nine and a half pounds. Have a good night!" Off she went to her class, leaving me to stare at the tiny little girl. Duncan is little, but she was truly tiny.

Anyway, in to the class! I sat maybe 9 chairs away from DH and Pierre, around a corner in the seating arrangement (three side of a very wide rectangle). Everyone has plenty of room to work their dogs. Honestly, I don't remember everything like I did last time (it has been a few days since the class), but here are the important parts:

The boys were fine with a separation. No whining or anything. Pierre was very intent on the door, but they would have passed if that were the test. I think I was more traumatized than they were.

Duncan's sits and downs are really good! I will continue practicing and adding distance.

Pierre was playing coy with the instructor when she tried to pat him down and check his teeth and paws. Duncan fed off this and wasn't as shy, but wasn't as well behaved as I know he can be.

Duncan's stays were impeccable for the first 5 minutes of me practicing them. He got weary, though, by the time she had gotten to us and was not listening. This was the last thing we did. He REALLY wanted to just go play with Pierre.

Loose leash walking is better with a shorter lead! I didn't have one at the class and he kept stepping all over the lead, as I was trying to balance everything and keep him engaged.

Homework/notes:

-Sit across the room from Pierre next time.
-Shorter practice sessions before "go" time.
-How do I prevent Duncan from being a "Hoover" dog when on loose leash? He wanted to get all the loose treats!
-Work on touching Duncan's ears more often.
-Try not to tell hubby what to work on because we have different methods and e won't listen anyway. :P
-Get better treats! The chicken hotdogs gave him loose stool, so we stopped. The sweet potato fills him up too fast. Looking for something better...
 
It's a lot for these young guys. Bailey takes the CGC in a few weeks. As right now she would not pass. Her problems are sitting politely for petting and reaction to other dogs. We're going to work on it this week.
 
First of all, I am exhausted. It was a long day at work - the second day of the infamous FCAT (I will refrain from any sort of comments on this test) in school, which I was a merry proctor for my dear sophomore homeroom students (you know, the year it counts for graduation)... To top it off, I was at work for 12 hours yesterday for after school tutoring then a meeting for Relay for Life which I will have in a few weeks.

I think it showed in class.

We started off fine. I got great comments on Duncan's stay and he let a stranger brush him with something akin to enthusiasm (he gently put a paw on her and reached up his nose for kisses!).

Then, the downhill slide: somewhere in the time it took for the instructor to do all the brushing and sits and downs, Duncan lost interest in me and wanted to stare the others down. Loose leash walking was not fun because the treats on the floor were more interesting than me (squeaking and prancing and nearly pleading for attention). The instructor gave me a new kind of treat and viola, he was a new dog. A tiny bit uphill...

I didn't have time to test the waters of this new found interest because we had the separation time. Our boys did fine.

When we were in the back during the separation, I gently teased my DH about Pierre, who had been a little terror for the whole class. The poodle lady (remember she's a trainer there too... but darn me if I will ever take a class under her), snarkily says something about us needing to decide things before we have kids. I tried to pass off her interest with a little joke about never having kids, which my hubby responded with "until tomorrow, but the next day she won't want them..." It is a joke between us because we don't know yet if we want them and it isn't anyone's business. She didn't get the point. She then mentioned that we might have better luck if we switched dogs.

That's about where the night really started to suck. I get it - Pierre is my dog, too (which poodle lady reminded me when she saw my face fall at the suggestion). But... I mean, COME ON! I've put in countless hours with Duncan (and Pierre, but remember that agreement???), we have a real bond. Pierre is a stubborn Papillon who I didn't even want in the class to begin with. And DH is supposed to have working with him (he thinks that the 20 mins he did this whole week are enough).

We go out to our dogs (who were fine and not at all disturbed by the break), and somehow I end up at my spot with Pierre and DH has Duncan. I used the opportunity to teach Touch, work on sits, downs, stays.... in 10 minutes, he was really into it.

Then the Stay/Come thing comes up and I got to hear tons of helpful hints to work with Pierre about his total inability to Stay... I was fine with that... but then when Duncan goes, he does a perfect 20 foot Stay, followed by the 10 foot Stay then Come. Don't get me wrong, I was thrilled that the work I put in paid off and that Duncan is such a good boy. But I was really upset that all of MY work isn't appreciated. DH says it is the dog and attributes none of it to the blood, sweat, and tears that went into it.

So, I acted like one of my high schoolers and sulked for a bit, holding Pierre in my lap. Pierre had become utterly impossible at that point, and we were both SO done.

We discussed training on the way home. It is true that I have more patience and Pierre needs more work. So, I will work with Pierre as well as Duncan - but DH will greatly increase his time with Pierre and can work with Duncan as he chooses (he should listen to both of us anyway).

I just... still feel gypped from the night. Bed is calling, though. Maybe I'll feel less stressed tomorrow.
 
Much better...

Sleep cures many ills.

I have decided that I was extremely irritable that night after my double dose of long days. It is an interesting lesson on how that translates to your dogs and your perceptions. Well, I suppose I am very young and will have many more revelations in the coming years.

The progress since I realized this has gone great. Hubby practiced with the dogs last night (and made an excellent beef stew/soup that made getting home late almost worth it) and I did today. Pierre is already targetting and staying better. His attention has improved dramatically AND I'm using the opportunity to use the slight jealousy of the dogs to my advantage.

For example, on a Stay, I work them together (Pierre in Down position, Duncan in Sit - their preferred position for long-term). The best Stay wins the treat. Pierre tends to pop right out of the Down (less than the Sit, though) and Duncan likes to lunge for the treat (I sense a Sheltie thing here). They quickly get that the correct behavior gets them a treat and a mistake is ignored and they get to watch their sibling get the treat. The only downfall is that Duncan has a reliable Stay at double the distance Pierre can do, so I'm working within Pierre's limits (setting up for success, hopefully). It is fine, though since they are big distraction for each other.

Also, once Pierre got really good at targetting, I would say Touch and put out my hand and the first dog to it got the treat! Pierre really rocked at this until Duncan got competitive. He is almost 5 lbs larger than Pierre and when he is competitive (something I find really endearing in him is his drive), he won't hesitate shouldering him out of the way. I ended up having to mix up the height greatly and favor Pierre's side to make it a little more evenly matched.

Lastly, I really want a nice Sit when I halt on our loose leash walks. To get them used to the idea, I did a informal "Let's Go!" and walked away. Of course they followed easily enough. When I stopped, I pointed to the heel position and then gave the cue to sit when a dog arrived. I only had to do this two or three times per pup for them to be ready. Again, Pierre did very well early on, but Duncan was more consistent.

It seemed plenty for a very rainy evening, especially since I've got a sinus infection or a cold coming on. Sneezing all day was fun with 30 teenagers in the room to giggle at your "mouse" sneeze. They were actually really mild for me today, reminding me about all the good in teaching and how rewarding it can be.

I think the lesson this week is positivity. It needs to be in your voice, in your mind, and infuse your whole outlook. I am usually very upbeat, but all of us have an off day or two. Ah, the trials of humanity!

Homework:
-Loose leash walking with the sit
-Stay, stay, stay!!
-Work Pierre and Duncan together AND separately with great variation in setting
 
I am enjoying your journal entries about dog training and its ups and downs, Lovely. Thanks for sharing with us.

I am happy to hear you are making progress with Duncan, and I can sympathize with your frustration. Puppy obedience class can be frustrating sometimes! I know there were a few nights when we were doing class where Buffy was just not having it no matter what I did. But at the end of the day you will end up with much better pets (both Duncan AND Pierre) because of all the work you put into them. At the end of the day that's one of the great things about dogs.... they really do reward you sometimes, at the most unexpected times and in unexpected ways. :smile2:
 
Week 4

Diana, thank you for following our trek! It does have many rewards. We have definitely bonded more closely to the dogs than ever before.

Just got back from the fourth class!

I cannot believe 4 weeks would make this big of a difference. Everyone did great. Remember that lab that barked his head off in the first few classes? Not a peep! It was truly astonishing. The poodle lady was absent.

We did friendly stranger petting and stuff. Duncan was really good about lifting his paws! I was happy. Pierre was better, too. I spotted him wiggling at the instructor when she reached for him. We are guessing it was an off week last week.

Then, we did the brushing. The instructor OF COURSE has to pull out her wooden pinned brush from Chris Christensen and let me use it. I'm addicted.

http://www.cherrybrook.com/index.cf...vname/Chris_Christensen_Wood_Pin_Brushes_20mm

I will be purchasing the above brush. I sort of like the oblong one though, so I may stall until I just decide to get one. It was like magic through Duncan's fur! She handed it to me and said it was great for long haired dogs, so I might like it. While I was using it, she mentioned that it was expensive. Without missing a beat, I went, "It's a Chris Christensen?" She laughed.

Anyway, we also did loose leash walking, the thing where you walk up to a stranger with a dog, greet, and move on (took forever and the Duncan/Pierre match-up was hilarious), walking through a crowd, and the noisy/movement distractions. When walking, I kept leaning down to Duncan to get his attention (works for Pierre), but it doesn't work for him. When I straightened, it was like magic. Everything clicked into place and we took a slower pace to relax him a bit. I wished I could do the loose leash again! He was fine, but not at his best.

Pierre had excellent attention throughout. Both of us put many hours into this week's progress and I am SO happy.

Something I need to work on is getting Duncan's attention off Pierre. About 10 minutes into class, Duncan realized that if he looked over his shoulder, there was Pierre. At first, I could recall his attention easily. As the night wore on, I became less interesting and Pierre became more interesting. He whined, yipped, and grunted throughout. Nothing really stressed or over-the-top, just mildly annoyed at having to be so far apart. The times when we would get them close, he would give Pierre a sniff, give DH a kiss, and then chill out.

Duncan goals:
~Stay and Wait as different things
~Attention around Pierre
~Loose leash walking with me upright
~Sits at halts (we're at 60% now)

Pierre goals:
~Loose leash walking!
~Attention
~Stay and Wait
 
sounds like everything is going well for both pups and both humans. we're just starting on actual walking- missed that part of the second or third class- can't remember which week we were late. but for now, Cranberry pretty much sticks close and has great attention.:winkgrin:
 
Update on both the last two!

Okay... so last week, Duncan would have passed. Really, he was everything we needed him to be. This week (the one before the test), he decided to bark, play, spin, and do other fun adolescent behavior that had me sighing (which my instructor jumped on).

Pierre has made good improvements, but I sincerely doubt he will pass the test. For Duncan, it might be a coin toss. Will he be his sweet self or his adolescent self?

Some of it may have been one of the dogs in our group is coming into her heat (so her owner thinks)... not really a fair distraction.

Time has been REALLY short lately. Maybe I'll get in some last minute updates as we go into our final week!
 
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